Let's be real for a second. When you think of Reese Witherspoon, you probably think of the high-achieving, perfectly manicured world of Legally Blonde or the prestige drama tension of Big Little Lies. You don't necessarily picture her in a tactical vest, fumbling with a sidearm and screaming at a suspect. But in 2015, that’s exactly what happened. The Reese Witherspoon cop movie, officially titled Hot Pursuit, was supposed to be this massive summer comedy hit. It paired America's sweetheart with Sofia Vergara, who was at the absolute peak of her Modern Family fame. On paper? It’s a goldmine. In reality? It was kind of a mess.
Critics absolutely shredded it. It currently sits with a dismal 8% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not just "bad movie" territory; that’s "how did this even get made" territory. Yet, nearly a decade later, people are still searching for it. They want to know if it's actually that bad or if it’s a misunderstood gem of physical comedy.
The Weird Dynamic of Cooper and Riva
The plot is basically a classic odd-couple road trip. Witherspoon plays Rose Cooper, a hyper-regulated, socially awkward police officer who has been stuck in the evidence room ever since she accidentally tasered the mayor’s son. She’s basically a caricature of every "by the book" cop you’ve ever seen, but dialed up to an eleven that feels almost cartoonish.
Then you have Sofia Vergara playing Daniella Riva, the widow of a cartel informant. The movie spends most of its 87-minute runtime (thankfully it's short) forcing these two into increasingly ridiculous situations. We’re talking about a scene where they pretend to be a lesbian couple to distract a guy, and another where they’re literally hiding inside a fake deer carcass. It’s high-energy. It’s loud. It’s also surprisingly mean-spirited at times.
Honestly, the chemistry is the only thing that saves it from being totally unwatchable. Witherspoon and Vergara are both incredible comedic timing experts. They know how to land a joke even when the script is giving them absolutely nothing to work with. But the script—written by David Feeney and John Quaintance—mostly relies on tired tropes about Cooper being short and "manly" and Riva being loud and "obsessed with shoes." It feels dated, even for 2015.
Why the Critics Hated Hot Pursuit So Much
If you look back at the reviews from the time, the consensus was that the movie was "lazy." That’s a harsh word in Hollywood, but it fits. Director Anne Fletcher has done great work before—The Proposal with Sandra Bullock is a genuinely funny rom-com—but here, the pacing feels frantic.
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One of the biggest issues was the characterization of Rose Cooper. For a Reese Witherspoon cop movie, people expected a bit more of that Election or Legally Blonde wit. Instead, Cooper is portrayed as almost pathologically inept. It’s hard to root for a protagonist when the movie treats her like a punchline for being dedicated to her job. In the era of "girl boss" cinema, Hot Pursuit felt like a weird step backward.
The film also struggled with its identity. Is it an action movie? Not really—the stunts are pretty standard. Is it a satire of police procedurals? Sorta, but it doesn't have the teeth for it. It lands in this uncanny valley of "studio comedy" where every joke feels like it was approved by a committee of people who haven't laughed since 1994.
A Quick Breakdown of the Stats
- Budget: Roughly $35 million.
- Box Office: It actually made about $51 million worldwide. So, it wasn't a total financial disaster, but it didn't set the world on fire either.
- The "Rotten" Score: 8% from critics, but a 35% from the audience. That’s a big gap. It shows that while professional reviewers hated the formulaic nature, some people just wanted to see Reese and Sofia yell at each other for an hour and a half.
Comparing it to Other Witherspoon Classics
To understand why this movie feels like such an outlier, you have to look at what Reese was doing around that time. She had just come off Wild (2014), which earned her an Oscar nomination. She was actively transitioning into a power producer, picking up complicated, female-led stories.
Hot Pursuit feels like a contractual obligation or a last-ditch effort to prove she could still do "broad" comedy. When you compare Rose Cooper to her work in Inherent Vice—another movie where she plays a character connected to the law—the difference is staggering. In Inherent Vice, she’s nuanced and sharp. In the Reese Witherspoon cop movie, she’s basically a human Looney Tune.
Does it Hold Up Today?
If you find it on a streaming service on a rainy Tuesday, is it worth the watch?
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Kinda.
If you go in with zero expectations, there are a few genuinely funny moments. The bit where they get accidentally high on cocaine—a classic trope—is handled with enough manic energy by both actresses that you might crack a smile. Vergara's ability to deliver insults with a smile is always top-tier.
But the movie is also a reminder of a specific era of Hollywood comedy that is mostly dead now. We don't see these mid-budget, star-driven comedies in theaters much anymore. Now, they mostly go straight to Netflix. In that context, Hot Pursuit feels like a relic. It’s a movie that relies entirely on the charisma of its leads to distract you from the fact that the plot is paper-thin.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often remember this as the movie that "killed" Reese's comedy career. It didn't. If anything, it pushed her further into the prestige TV space. She realized that if she wanted high-quality roles that didn't rely on "short person jokes," she had to produce them herself. Shortly after this, Big Little Lies happened. In a weird way, we might have the failure of this cop movie to thank for the "Reese-urgence" of the late 2010s.
The Legacy of the 2015 Flop
Despite the bad reviews, the movie did one thing right: it didn't try to be something it wasn't. It knew it was a goofy road trip flick. It didn't have delusions of grandeur. It was a 90-minute distraction.
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There's also something to be said for the "female buddy cop" genre. We have The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, which is the gold standard. Hot Pursuit tried to follow that blueprint but forgot the heart. It focused too much on the "odd" and not enough on the "couple." The friendship between Cooper and Riva doesn't feel earned; it feels mandatory because the script reached page 80.
How to Watch and What to Expect
If you're diving into the Reese Witherspoon cop movie tonight, here is the survival guide.
First, ignore the plot. It involves some dirty cops and a witness protection setup, but it really doesn't matter. Second, watch it for the physical comedy. Reese Witherspoon is surprisingly good at falling down and looking ridiculous. Third, don't expect Legally Blonde. This is not Elle Woods with a badge. This is a very different, much more frantic version of Reese.
The film is currently available on various VOD platforms and occasionally pops up on Max or Hulu. It's the definition of "background noise" cinema.
Actionable Next Steps for the Reese Fan
- Skip the critics: If you love Sofia Vergara's energy on Modern Family, you will probably enjoy her here. She isn't doing anything different, but she does it well.
- Double feature it: If you want to see a better version of the "uptight woman on the run" story, watch The Heat right after. It’ll give you a great perspective on why one worked and the other didn't.
- Check out Witherspoon's production credits: If Hot Pursuit leaves a bad taste in your mouth, go watch Daisy Jones & The Six or The Morning Show. It’s a reminder that Reese is one of the smartest producers in the game right now, even if she occasionally picks a dud like this one.
- Look for the bloopers: Honestly, the gag reel for Hot Pursuit is arguably funnier than the movie itself. Seeing the two leads actually break character and laugh shows the chemistry that the edited film somehow managed to stifle.
At the end of the day, every major star has a "what were they thinking?" movie in their filmography. For Tom Hanks, it was The Bonfire of the Vanities. For Reese Witherspoon, it was this cop movie. It's a fascinating footnote in a career that is otherwise defined by massive success and impeccable taste. It’s proof that even the best in the business can’t save a weak script, but they can certainly have a lot of fun trying.